15. Jonathan #2
“No, it isn’t.” She paused for a long time before her quiet voice continued.
“It’s alright, Jonathan. I don’t blame you for being curious.
It’s just . . . my family isn’t like yours.
They’re not like your sister or the Hughes twins.
They’re not warm and friendly. They’re not calling because there’s an emergency or because they want to check in on me.
“They’re calling because they probably want something from me. They’re demanding and insistent. Worse of all, they don’t respect my boundaries. My brother has been stalking and harassing me for more than half a year, and no one in my family has done anything to stop him.”
Her words dwindled into a long, exhausted breath as if some of the weight on her shoulders rolled off with each bit she revealed.
“And you love them. A lot, too,” I said gently.
I could tell just from the way she had refused to call the police to control the situation between her brother and her. It was clear as day. She loved her family immensely.
Lina’s breath trembled slightly. “Of course. I try my best.”
“You’re good, Lina. I don’t think you need to try any harder,” I nodded. “If anything, you should try calling the police if your brother ever shows up to your townhouse and threatens your safety.”
She scoffed as I muttered the stupid joke. “Well, now you know. Now you don’t need to be curious about my brother, or my family, or me, anymore. But please . . . make sure to keep this between us.”
“I’d never tell anyone about the details of your life, Lina. Don’t worry. No one will ever know. Not my friends. Not my family. And never our pharm techs. My lips are sealed,” I said.
“Forever?” she asked.
I nodded. “Forever.”
“Even at work?” Curiosity now dripping from her voice.
I laughed. “Nope. Never at work. Only when it comes to you and your family.”
Lina hummed softly. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see her nod. “Thank you, Jonathan, for everything.”
“You’re welcome, Lina.”
For the rest of the ride, silence was the only sound occupying the space between the two of us. Every time I glanced at her at a stoplight, she was always looking out the window. But there was a moment, or two, when our eyes met in the reflection of the glass. She’d look away and so did I.
“Who’d have thought you’d be moving into the same gated community as Andy and Julie!” laughed Anthony as he closed the door to the truck. Andy easily unloaded the last box.
Lina shuffled on her feet, blushing. “I’ll take that,” she said to Andy with her arms outstretched.
He ducked away from her. “No worries. I’ll handle it.”
Her face turned a brighter shade of red as she muttered a quiet, “Thank you.”
Andy smiled at her. “You can thank me by coming over and having lunch with us. My wife and sister-in-law are making ph? for us.”
When I asked Lina to have lunch with us earlier in the truck, she answered with a definitive, ‘No.’ When Anthony brought up the same thing later, she replied with a gentle ‘I’ll think about it.’ However, with Andy—
“Would that be alright?” she asked.
I blinked, surprised.
Andy laughed. “You’re supposed to be our guest, Lina! Of course it’s fine!”
“Ph?? In this weather?” I grumbled, turning to my brother-in-law. A hot, piping beef noodle soup on an equally sweltering day in their tiny little townhome? I definitely wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Come on, Jonathan. You know ph?’s good for any weather, especially your sister’s,” he said.
He motioned toward the walkway leading up to the two-floor townhouse that was Lina’s new apartment. She quickly followed behind him, and I almost went with her.
“Stop complaining!” said Anthony, throwing his heavy arm over my shoulders. “Julie and Shoua always make an amazing batch of homemade ph?, so if you’re not eating, I’ll take your share.”
I scoffed as Andy and Lina walked up to her home.
I pursed my lips when I saw a flash of her shy smile.
The back of her neck was tinged with an even brighter red as Andy looked over his wide, round shoulders down at her.
The smile he had on was friendly and warm.
Lina mirrored it while irritation began to simmer under my skin again.
“I thought you said this thing between you and Lina Lee was strictly a work thing, Jonathan,” said Anthony quietly, with the widest grin plastered on his face.
I looked into his light-brown eyes and frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Anthony continued to smile. “I didn’t realize you two were even friends. But I guess it’d make more sense why you wouldn’t shut up about her, huh?”
“I’m here because she’s my employee and needs help. That’s it.”
He shrugged. “I don’t do the same thing for any of my employees, and I’m a manager myself. And I also don’t undress myself in front of my female employees. So, sure thing, boss.”
Andy and Lina emerged from the house, grabbing my attention. He was on the phone, grinning ear to ear, as he waited for Lina to lock up. I only knew it was my sister he was talking to because of that lovesick, doe-eyed look he wore. He laughed, his cheeks red.
“Sure, Tink. We’ll be there soon,” he said, voice all soft and gooey before ending the call.
He walked to where Anthony and me were standing, with Lina in tow. She smiled softly at the twins as I jiggled the keys to the truck.
“Let’s return this thing,” I said.
“We’re expecting you in a bit. Right, Lina?” asked Andy. “Julie and Shoua are excited to have you over.”
“Even if you don’t come, we know where you live. And we will come knocking,” smiled Anthony.
I looked at them and scoffed. “Please don’t pressure my employee like that. It makes me look bad.”
Anthony howled out loud with his hyena laugh. I sighed, ready to quip back, when a soft chime harmonized with Anthony’s snicker.
I paused to listen to Lina—to the lightness in her voice.
I’d only heard her laugh once before, when we were locked in that damn janitor’s closet together.
Even then, it sounded nothing like this gentle sound.
Her sheepish smiles, her laughter, and the random bits of softness in her demeanor today were all parts of her I’d never known.
She smiled wide and happy as she let out another ring of laughter. “No worries. I’ll be there.” Her voice was as amiable as I’ve ever heard it.
“Let’s get going before these two inhale all the ph?,” I said.
I hadn’t realized I was smiling until the sparkles in Andy’s and Anthony’s eyes glittered brightly. I dropped it instantly and got into the truck as Andy yelled out something I couldn’t make out.
My heart thundered, drowning everything except for the sounds Lina made. The way her low footsteps dragged across the ground, the way her laugh rang out, and the way her voice sounded. She was the only thing I could hear. All carefree without hard edges.
We drove in silence for some time. I was hesitating to say what was on my mind.
“You have a nice laugh,” I mumbled.
“You’ve said that before, Jonathan,” she replied.
“I thought I’d remind you.” I paused for a moment, still unsure of how to say my next words. “You’re different outside of work.”
“How so?”
“Are you always this shy?”
“Shy? I was shy?”
I could see her out of the corner of my eyes. Her brows crumpled in confusion.
“I’m used to you being reserved. Quiet in nature, but loud in presence,” I stated. “You’re so timid and soft spoken around the twins. If that’s not being shy, I don’t know what is.”
“O-oh, I didn’t realize you’d notice. I—” She paused, and I waited for her to continue. “Yeah, I suppose I was shy. I get really anxious when I meet new people, so I’m not good at making the greatest first impression.”
I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the road; there was a stoplight ahead. It was true. She didn’t make good first impressions at all.
She continued to speak. “I’m probably even more awkward right now because . . . I used to have a crush on Andy back in high school, after all.”